My Wireless Facts
|
||
More than 260 million Americans (more than 82% of the U.S. population) enjoy the personal freedom that comes from owning and using wireless technology. They’re accessible when they want to be and able to affordably connect with family and friends.
And connecting, they are! Did you know that wireless subscribers used over two trillion minutes in 2007?
Wireless: Fueling Economic Growth
More than 160 wireless providers in the U.S. contribute to the nation's economic growth by drawing upon the efforts of more than 257,000 direct employees and paying salaries of more than $12 billion a year.
Age-Defying Technology
56% of all American teenagers, half of all Americans between 65 and 74, and 30% of those between 75 and 84 subscribe to commercial wireless services.
Sore Thumbs
In addition to talking for nearly two trillion minutes in the first half of 2007, as recently as June 2007 wireless users were sending more than 28 billion messages a month!
Lifelines
Wireless users make more than 291,000 calls to 911 each day (more than 100 million calls a year) to save lives and protect property. Investments by the wireless industry, in conjunction with investments by local emergency authorities, are enhancing the effectiveness of those calls by implementing more precise call location technology.
How much do you rely on your wireless device?
Exact Change
In 1993, Congress changed the law to create an effective national regulatory framework for wireless and prohibited the disparity of 50 different state regulations on rates and market entry. The result? In the ten years before the law changed, 13 million customers signed up for wireless service. In the 12 years after, more than 260 million have and 183 wireless providers now exist to service them, introducing new technologies, better quality and more affordable prices.
Trendsetters
Approximately 12% of all U.S. households are wireless-only!
Competition Helps Consumers
Competition in the wireless industry has caused a dramatic decrease in the average local monthly bill of wireless users. In 1993, consumers paid more than $60.00 a month, compared to today's monthly bill, for almost five times the service, at just under $50.00.
Taxing Away Your Savings
Even though industry competition has caused prices to fall, taxes are still high. The average wireless consumer pays more than 14% in total taxes on their wireless bill and in states like New York and Florida, with high state taxes on wireless, that number can exceed 20%. Research shows that in states where wireless taxes are highest, those taxes reduce the affordability and availability of wireless technology by about 20%.
Investment in the Future
Wireless companies invested a total of $174 billion in their networks and operations as of year-end 2004, plus an additional $13 billion in the first half of 2005. Wireless companies also paid more than $22 billion to the federal government for the spectrum needed to provide the services consumers want. Wireless companies have essentially re-built their networks several times over the past decade as they overlaid the original analog system prescribed by the federal government with new generations of digital systems to deliver new services at faster speeds, with higher quality.
Lighter, Leaner, Greener
Wireless manufacturers are designing new phones to be lighter and more environmentally friendly by phasing out the use of certain substances. The new generation of wireless devices weighs about 3 ounces - 42% less than earlier models. Wireless manufacturers are also using more recycled materials and are increasingly designing for recyclability.
Sources: Allan Ingraham & Gred Sidak (Wireless Taxation 07), Bureau of Labor Statistics, CTIA Semi-Annual Survey Results, Federal Communications Commission, Scott Mackey (Kimball, Sherman & Ellis), The Yankee Group, and the US Census Bureau.
In 1993, Congress changed the law to create an effective national regulatory framework for wireless and prohibited the disparity of 50 different state regulations on rates and market entry. The result? In the ten years before the law changed, 13 million customers signed up for wireless service. In the 12 years after, more than 260 million have and 183 wireless providers now exist to service them, introducing new technologies, better quality and more affordable prices.
Trendsetters
Approximately 12% of all U.S. households are wireless-only!
Competition Helps Consumers
Competition in the wireless industry has caused a dramatic decrease in the average local monthly bill of wireless users. In 1993, consumers paid more than $60.00 a month, compared to today's monthly bill, for almost five times the service, at just under $50.00.
Taxing Away Your Savings
Even though industry competition has caused prices to fall, taxes are still high. The average wireless consumer pays more than 14% in total taxes on their wireless bill and in states like New York and Florida, with high state taxes on wireless, that number can exceed 20%. Research shows that in states where wireless taxes are highest, those taxes reduce the affordability and availability of wireless technology by about 20%.
Investment in the Future
Wireless companies invested a total of $174 billion in their networks and operations as of year-end 2004, plus an additional $13 billion in the first half of 2005. Wireless companies also paid more than $22 billion to the federal government for the spectrum needed to provide the services consumers want. Wireless companies have essentially re-built their networks several times over the past decade as they overlaid the original analog system prescribed by the federal government with new generations of digital systems to deliver new services at faster speeds, with higher quality.
Lighter, Leaner, Greener
Wireless manufacturers are designing new phones to be lighter and more environmentally friendly by phasing out the use of certain substances. The new generation of wireless devices weighs about 3 ounces - 42% less than earlier models. Wireless manufacturers are also using more recycled materials and are increasingly designing for recyclability.
Sources: Allan Ingraham & Gred Sidak (Wireless Taxation 07), Bureau of Labor Statistics, CTIA Semi-Annual Survey Results, Federal Communications Commission, Scott Mackey (Kimball, Sherman & Ellis), The Yankee Group, and the US Census Bureau.
